Kentucky elk show no limits
By Art Lander JR.
HERALD-LEADER OUTDOORS WRITER


Bill Carman of Versailles -- recently hired as regional director for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) in Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia -- is bullish on the state's elk herd.

"This spring Kentucky is likely to have 7,300 elk on the ground, and it wouldn't surprise me if our herd is larger," said Carman, who is retired from the Lexington Parks and Recreation. "We could reach our goal of 10,000 elk in a couple of years."

Good communication skills and a love of the resource make Carman a good choice for the job, which centers around working with local RMEF chapters (10 in Kentucky), habitat partners, and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources to ensure the future of elk in the state's 4 million-acre, 16-county elk zone.

In October 2006 Carman became the first hunter in Kentucky in modern times to kill an elk with traditional archery gear -- a recurve bow, wooden (cedar) arrow, and traditional fixed blade broadhead.

Carman, who has hunted elk in three Western states (New Mexico, Colorado and Utah), killed his Kentucky 4x5 bull in Knott County. He was hunting alone when he dropped the 700-pound bull, which he caped, quartered and de-boned, before backpacking out the meat.

"It was a thrill," Carman said. "I was in shock when I got drawn (to hunt). The odds of getting drawn are about 100-to-1."

Carman said Kentucky's elk are quality animals. "Our elk are bigger and have bigger antlers. In the Western states a 11/2-year-old bull has spike antlers. Ours are 4x4 (eight total points) and, on average, our bulls are about 100 pounds heavier."

Kentucky's current state record for an elk with typical antlers is 371 (taken by Greg Neff of Kenton County), but Carman sees a 400-inch elk on the horizon. "There's some monsters out there," he said. "We're already getting reports of elk that big (400 inches)."

Carman said habitat improvement is one of RMEF's goals in Kentucky. "We're working with coal companies to help them use seed mixtures that are more wildlife friendly, and not to compact the soil, when they reclaim a mine site."

Conflicts between elk and humans are not a big issue at this stage of elk restoration, but there's always concern when elk impact farmlands. "Some areas in the zone are underpopulated with elk, but that's going to change over time."

Elk move around a lot. "I recently saw a bachelor herd of 40 bulls," Carman said. "I'm seeing a lot of elk outside the zone. There are some near Frenchburg now (in Menifee County)."

As Kentucky's elk population grows, it's bound to spread out eastward and southward, to adjoining mountainous states. Carman said there have been some recent reports of Kentucky elk venturing into Virginia, Tennessee and West Virginia. "At this time West Virginia doesn't have an elk restoration program, but a feasibility study found that the state could sustain a herd," Carman said. "We hope that someday a program can be started there."

Tennessee's elk restoration program is still in its infancy, with the initial stockings in the Great Smoky Mountains.

"Another goal is to (motivate) some of our chapters here in Kentucky, and re-start the Lexington chapter," Carman said.

Founded in 1984 and headquartered in Missoula, Mont., RMEF is a non-profit conservation and hunting organization with more than 160,000 members, a staff of 150 and 10,000 active volunteers.

To learn more about RMEF and help protect wild elk country, visit www.elkfoundation.org or call toll-free 1-800-CALL-ELK (225-5355).

I wish wis. elk herd would take off like that wolves, bears and cars are keeping the herd. In Check.

quote:

Carman, who has hunted elk in three Western states (New Mexico, Colorado and Utah), killed his Kentucky 4x5 bull in Knott County. He was hunting alone when he dropped the 700-pound bull, which he caped, quartered and de-boned, before backpacking out the meat.

Carman said Kentucky's elk are quality animals. "Our elk are bigger and have bigger antlers. In the Western states a 11/2-year-old bull has spike antlers. Ours are 4x4 (eight total points) and, on average, our bulls are about 100 pounds heavier."

I guess he hasn't hunted "all" of the Western States... A normal bull here weighs 800 to 900 lbs and 1000 + is not too unusual.. Heck, cows here weight 500 to 700 with max pushing 900 though 900 is not too common ...

I hope they get a good healthy elk population and are able to maintain it... Every North American hunter should have the opportunity to hunt elk ...

Ken....

I too have hunted elk all throughout the west. Two years ago my father-in-law was drawn for KY elk. They are very well fed indeed. I would not resort to saying they are bigger than western elk but i would not be surprised, at least early in their life anyway.
KY has done a great job and it was the easiest elk hunt i have ever been on.

Incidentally, elk taste Great no matter where they have grown up!